Hinge connections

ABSTRACT

A hinge connection, especially for the interconnection of mine roof support bars, and composed of interleaved plate members having a connecting member extending through apertures therein. A recess is formed by shortening some of the plate members beneath the apertures receiving the connecting member so that an apertured pressure piece can be received in the recess. The remainder of the plate members, which are nonshortened, each have a further aperture and a further connecting member can extend through these further apertures and through the aperture in the pressure piece to rigidly lock the bars together when desired.

United States Patent [54] HINGE CONNECTIONS 5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S. Cl 287/99, 6I/45.l [51] Int. Cl Fl6c 11/00 [50] Field ofSearch 287/99, 96; 61 I45 .1

[ References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,749,712 6/1956 Gerlach 287/99 UX 2,991,102 7/1961 Vanwersch et al. 287/99 FOREIGN PATENTS 794,008 4/1958 Great Britain 61/45.]

Primary Examiner-Reinaldo P. Machado Assistant Examiner-Andrew V. Kundrat Attorney-Roberts, Cushman & Grover ABSTRACT: A hinge connection, especially for the interconnection of mine roof support bars, and composed of interleaved plate members having a connecting member extending through apertures therein. A recess is formed by shortening some of the plate members beneath the apertures receiving the connecting member so that an apertured pressure piece can be received in the recess. The remainder of the plate members, which are nonshortened, each have a further aperture and a further connecting member can extend through these further apertures and through the aperture in the pressure piece to rigidly lock the bars together when desired.

PATENTEUHET 191911 3.614.141

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10 6% @022 67' BY? gig, ATTORNEYS BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION The customary hinge connections used for connecting roof support bars are formed by providing plates at the ends of the bars. The plates are interleaved with one another and selectively receive upperand lower connective pins which extend through bores in the plates. Although the connection is referred to as a hinge connection when both pins are inserted in the bores the bars are locked together but by removing the lower pin the bars can pivot relative to one another in one direction or the other. Such connections suffer from the drawback that the bores which receive the lower connecting pin are subjected to particularly high forces in operation and can become distorted and noncircular over a period of time. Eventually the plates and hence the bars can no longer be properly aligned with one another.

A general object of the present invention is to provide an improved hinge connection which will mitigate this problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one aspect the invention is concerned with a hinge connection for interconnecting a first and a second member and composed of a plurality of first plate members attached, or attachable, to said first member, a plurality of second plate members attached, or attachable, to said second member, and interleaved with said first plate members, the first and second plate members each having an aperture therein, and a connecting member extending through the apertures in said first and second plate members. The invention provides that portions be removed from some of said first and second plate members to form a recess adapted to receive a separate pressure piece, the pressure piece having an aperture therein and the remainder of said first and second plate members each having a further aperture therein, and a further connecting member insertable in said further apertures in said first and second plate members and the aperture in said pressure piece.

In another aspect the present invention provides a mine roof support system including a first and a second roof support bar interconnected by a hinge connection; said hinge connection being composed of (a) a plurality of first plate members formed at one end of said first roof support bar, each of said first plate members having a first aperture therein; (b) a plurality of second plate members formed at one end of said second roof support bar, each of said second plate members having a first aperture therein, the second plate members being interleaved with respect to said first plate members; (c) a first connecting member insertable into the first apertures in said first and second plate members; (d) a recess formed by removing portions of some of the first and second plate members; (e) a pressure piece insertable into said recess, said pressure piece having an aperture therein; (f) a second aperture provided in each of the remainder of the first and second plate members; and (g) a second connecting member insertable into the second apertures in said remainder of the first and second plate members and into the aperture in said pressure piece.

According to a preferred feature tapered gaps are formed between the edges of each of the remainder of the first and second plate members and the abutment faces, said gaps widening in a direction extending outwardly of the connection.

The forces occurring when both connecting members are inserted, ie when the hinge connection becomes rigid, are transferred to the pressure piece, which is simple to produce and to replace in case of need.

The pressure piece adopts a relatively low position in the connection and this results in lower forces being produced between the surfaces of the pressure piece and the first and second members.

The provision of the gaps enables the first and second members to be interconnected in a position bent downwards, i.e. in the form of an inverted V, when only the first or upper connecting member is used. The extent to which the members can be bent upwards in relation to one another, i.e. in the form of a V, is practically unlimited.

The invention may be understood more readily and various other features of the invention may become more apparent from consideration of the following description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS A constructional embodiment of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGS. la, 1b and 10 show the different alternative relative positions of two bars interconnected by a hinge connection made in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a vertical sectional view of the hinge connection of FIGS. la to lo; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line Ill-III of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown more particularly in FIGS. 10, lb and 10 two members in the form of bars 1, 2 used, for example, in a mine roof support system, are connected together by means of a hinge connection 3. To produce the connection 3 the bar 1 is provided with a plurality of spaced-apart flaplike plate members 6 and the bar 2 is similarly provided with a plurality of spaced-apart flaplike plate members 7. The members 6 project beyond an abutment surface 4 provided at the end of the bar 1 and the members 7 project beyond an abutment surface 5 provided at the end of the bar 2. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the members 7 are staggered or offset from the members 6 by 'at least the thickness of one member 6 and each of the gaps between the members 6 receives one of the members 7 and conversely each of the gaps between the members 7 receives one of the members 6. In this way the members 6 are interleaved with the members 7. Each member 6, 7 is provided with an aperture 8 and these apertures when aligned with one another can receive a connecting member 8a.

Some of the members 60, 70 at the center of the connection 3 are shortened or cut away at their lower portions to produce a recess. The remainder of the members 6, 7 not shortened in this manner each have a further aperture 9. The aperture 9 can receive a further connecting member when they are aligned with one another. When the bars 1, 2 extend rectilinearly as shown 'in FIG. 1b, the apertures 8, 9 can both receive their connecting members 8a, 9a. The members 8a, 9a can be detachably retained in position by any suitable method. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, one end of each member 8a, 9a can be enlarged so as to have a cross section greater in diameter than the apertures 8, 9. The other end of the member 8a, 9a can have a transverse or radial bore for receiving a pin or the like and a disc, again of greater diameter than that of the bores 8, 9, can be interposed between the pin and the adjacent face of the outermost plate member 6, 7.

The recess produced between the shortened members, 60, 7a can receive a pressure piece 10 which is also provided with an aperture 10a to receive the lower connecting member 9a. The abutment surfaces 4, 5 of the bars 1, 2 can engage the sides 11 of the pressure piece 10. The pressure piece 10 is arranged symmetrically of the vertical median plane of the hinge connection 3.

In FIG. 3 it can be seen that the lower end edges 6b and 7b of the members 6 and 7 disposed at either side of the shortened members 60 and 7a, respectively, are directed away from the abutment surfaces 4, 5 to leave gaps which widen downwards when the bars 1, 2 extend rectilinearly as shown in FIG. lb. This makes it possible for the bars 1, 2 to adopt the position shown in FIG. 1c when the lower connecting member 9a and the pressure piece 10 have been removed. The edges 6b and 7b can then come to rest against the abutment surfaces 5 and 4 respectively.

As can be appreciated from the drawings, the pressure piece 10 can be inserted, or detached from, the connection 3 via the lower end of the connection 3, with the bars 1, 2 in their rectilinear position shown in FIG. lb. When the pressure piece 10 and lower connecting member 9a are removed the bars 1, 2 can assume the position shown in FIG. In or FIG. 1c.

Thus, FIG. lb depicts the bars 1, 2 in their rectilinear position where the pressure piece 10 and both members 8, 9 are used. if, as shown in FIG. 10, the pressure piece 10 and lower connecting member 9a are removed so that only the upper member 8 is used, then the bars 1, 2 can assume a nonrectilinear position in relation to one another in which the bars 1, 2 extend downwards from the connection 3. The abutment surfaces 4 and 5 engage the end edges 6b, 7b of the members 6 and 7 respectively.

Alternatively, the bars 1, 2 can be pivoted upwardly to assume the position shown in FIG. 1a.

We claim:

I. In a hinge connection for interconnecting a first and a secondmember; said connection being formed by a plurality of first plate members for attachment to said first member, a plurality of second plate members. for attachment to said second member and interdigitated with said first plate members, the first and second plate members each having an aperture therein; and a connecting member extending through the apertures in said first and second plate members, the improvement comprising bottom portions of some of said first and second plate members being shortened to form a recess below said connecting member and receiving a separate pressure piece, the pressure piece having an aperture therein and the remainder of said first and second plate members on the opposite sides of said recess each having a further aperture therein aligned with the aperture in the pressure piece, and a further connecting member insertable in said further apertures in said first and second plate members and the aperture in said pressure piece.

2. A mine roof support system including a first and a second roof support bar interconnected by a hinge connection; said hinge connection being composed of a. a plurality of first plate members formed at one end of said first roof support bar, each of said first plate members having a first aperture therein;

b. a plurality of second plate members formed at one end of said second roof support bar, each of said second plate members having a first aperture therein, the second plate members being interdigitated with respect to said first plate members;

c. a first connecting member insertable into the first apertures in said first and second plate members;

d. a recess formed below said first connecting member by shortening the bottom portions of some of the first and second plate members;

e. a pressure piece in said recess, said pressure piece having an aperture therein;

f. a second aperture aligned with said recess and provided in each of the remainder of the first and second plate mem bers on the opposite sides of said recess; and

g. a second connecting member insertable into the second apertures in said remainder of the first and second plate members and into the aperture in said pressure piece.

' 3. A connection according to claim 1, wherein the plate members are formed integrally with the first and second members, and the first and second members are formed with abutment faces engageable with the pressure piece.

4. A connection according to claim 3, wherein tapered gaps are formed between the edges of each of the remainder of the first and second plate members and the abutment faces, said gaps widening in a direction extending outwardly of the connection.

5. A connection according to claim 1, wherein the recess is disposed centrally of the connection. 

1. In a hinge connection for interconnecting a first and a second member; said connection being formed by a plurality of first plate members for attachment to said first member, a plurality of second plate members for attachment to said second member and interdigitated with said first plate members, the first and second plate members each having an aperture therein; and a connecting member extending through the apertures in said first and second plate members, the improvement comprising bottom portions of some of said first and second plate members being shortened to form a recess below said connecting member and receiving a separate pressure piece, the pressure piece having an aperture therein and the remainder of said first and second plate members on the opposite sides of said recess each having a further aperture therein aligned with the aperture in the pressure piece, and a further connecting member insertable in said further apertures in said first and second plate members and the aperture in said pressure piece.
 2. A mine roof support system including a first and a second roof support bar interconnected by a hinge connection; said hinge connection being composed of a. a plurality of first plate members formed at one end of said first roof support bar, each of said first plate members having a first aperture therein; b. a plurality of second plate members formed at one end of said second roof support bar, each of said second plate members having a first aperture therein, the second plate members being interdigitated with respect to said first plate members; c. a first connecting member insertable into the first apertures in said first and second plate members; d. a recess formed below said first connecting member by shorteniNg the bottom portions of some of the first and second plate members; e. a pressure piece in said recess, said pressure piece having an aperture therein; f. a second aperture aligned with said recess and provided in each of the remainder of the first and second plate members on the opposite sides of said recess; and g. a second connecting member insertable into the second apertures in said remainder of the first and second plate members and into the aperture in said pressure piece.
 3. A connection according to claim 1, wherein the plate members are formed integrally with the first and second members, and the first and second members are formed with abutment faces engageable with the pressure piece.
 4. A connection according to claim 3, wherein tapered gaps are formed between the edges of each of the remainder of the first and second plate members and the abutment faces, said gaps widening in a direction extending outwardly of the connection.
 5. A connection according to claim 1, wherein the recess is disposed centrally of the connection. 